Shortage of foster parents puts children at risk

London: Thousands of vulnerable children could end up trapped in inadequate or inappropriate care because of a looming crisis in the recruitment of foster parents, a charity has warned.

Difficulties in finding new replacements for the one in six foster parents who quit or retire each year are being exacerbated by the steady rise in numbers of children who are taken into care, says the Fostering Network.

It says at least 8,750 new foster families need to be found across the UK in the coming months to avoid a foster care crisis. The biggest shortfalls are in London, the north-west of England and Scotland.

The charity says that without a fresh wave of foster parents, many children taken into care risk being either fostered a long distance away from their birth family and school, or forced to live in unsuitable residential care.

Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: "These figures are alarming we could be facing a real crisis when looking to provide the most appropriate care for children who cannot live with their own family.

"All children in care need a family they can grow up with who can love them, be ambitious for them and help them achieve their potential. For a growing number, foster care is the best option."

The network said there are about 59,000 children living with 45,000 foster families on any one day across the UK, up from 49,700 in 2011. The increase reflects steep rises in the total number of children taken into care following the Baby Peter child protection furore in 2008.

— Guardian News & Media Ltd